The news that rocked my food world? The announcement that Din Tai Fung, the dumpling-house darling, will open at Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose this winter.

Publicists have confirmed that the popular Taiwanese chain will open a locale here, making it the first one in Northern California. The only other Din Tai Fung outlets in the United States are in Southern California and the Seattle area.

The Valley Fair one will be located on the main floor of the shopping center, next to J.Crew and underneath the second-floor Dining Terrace. The 8,200-square-foot restaurant will seat up to 200.

Those of you who have followed my blog know that I can’t get enough of the dumplings there, and have enjoyed them whenever I’ve been fortunate to be in the Los Angeles-area. Suffice to say that Din Tai Fung has dumplings down to a science, particularly the soup dumplings (also known as xiaolongbao), which are my standard for all others.

For a look at what you can expect at the Valley Fair restaurant, click on my post here of my visit to the Arcadia branch. And prepare to get hungry.

Blue Bottle Coffee Opens Its First Peninsula Location

Of course the first Peninsula Blue Bottle Coffee cafe would be located in downtown Palo Alto — what with that tony city’s never-ending thirst for gourmet beans.

The drip-to-order coffee. (Photo by Blue Bottle)

Blue Bottle opened its doors last week at the old Varsity Theater on University Avenue, now home to HanaHaus, a cafe and community workspace geared toward the culture of technology innovation. Look for it to play host to speakers, events and live music.

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